The present invention relates to a workpiece supporting device for a multiple-die horizontal forging press.
Prior cold forging pressing machines conventionally comprise a plurality of forging dies in each of which a rod iron, supplied from a rod iron coil, is gradually deformed, to provide, through a cold-deforming process, a piece having a desired end shape which may also be very complex.
Machines of the above mentioned type are also made by the Applicant, SACMA Limbiate S.p.A., from a long time.
Considering that the above mentioned cold-forging machines usually comprise up to six dies, in which the workpiece is gradually subjected to different deforming steps, and that the processing rate of modern cold forging machines is of 150 to 200 pieces per minute, malfunction problems have occurred with respect to a firm and safe gripping of the workpiece by the workpiece transfer or unloading pliers, at the end of the deforming operations.
The above mentioned drawbacks, related to a safe gripping of the workpieces as they are ejected by the individual forging dies, have been further aggravated for workpieces having large diameter variations and several steps, thereby making a perfect gripping of the piece by the transfer pliers a difficult operation.
Actually, it has been found that a complex configured workpiece cannot always be safely gripped by the gripping pliers, for example because of a continuously increasing production rate of the cold forging machines, thereby preventing the workpiece from being properly transferred from a deforming station to another deforming station.
Thus, notwithstanding several attempts to solve the above mentioned technical problem, a half-machined workpiece could still disengage from the transfer pliers jaws, thereby uncontrollably dropping inside the processing machine upstream of the deforming head.
Thus to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, it was necessary to slow down the production rate of prior machines.